Tarkine AutoPilot - 81 Mile review

Potential bias in review
1. I have harsh mechanics
2. I am a neutral runner
3. I have a standard to narrow, accommodating foot shape
4. My left foot turns out slightly (slight toe out), which leads to an awkward flow of my left heel and tends to rub the ground when my mechanics get tired.  This leads to some outsoles dying quickly in combination with my harsh overall mechanics. 
5. I am a pro level sweat machine.  This is one of the reasons I have a good rotation of shoes, I like to let them air out. 
6. I started running at an older age, no proper training and my steady pace is in the mid 9 minute per mile range.

My size 12's came in weighing: Left 12.5 Ounces, Right 12.5 Ounces
Sample size weight: 11.28 Ounces (Sample size men's 11)
Heel Stack: 40 MM
Drop: 6 MM
Upper: High quality mesh with overlay reinforcement over the ends of the toes, and a well structured heel counter
Outsole: A softer, but grippy rubber strategically placed

The main colorways at MSRP are $147.00 USD.  They have some special edition colorways (Like the radical shown in this review), but unlike other shoe companies their SE editions seem to run slightly cheaper. 

These shoes were purchased by me for $94.00 USD on their resale program and they showed up with no wear or discoloration, looking like a brand new pair of shoes. 

Laces: The laces are a nice ribbed style of lace that stayed tied during my runs, are not too puffy and look to be a durable quality lace
Tongue: The tongue is fully gusseted, which is always a plus for me
Upper material: The upper is a mesh of some kind of material that I couldn't find the specifics on, but it held it's form very well, was protective, seems very durable and very comfortable
Heel: The heel is nicely structured to keep the heel in place while not being to beefy or cumbersome.  I had zero issues with heel slippage, rubbing etc.
Collar: The collar is nicely padded, but not overly padded.  It is actually about perfect for my liking 
Toe Room: The upper design has a nice design for toe room.  I was able to flex and splay my toes during the run.  I don't think the toe box is "large", but it is accommodating.

I ran in wet and dry conditions on pavement and concrete.  I ran on dry grass, dirt, limestone, loose gravel, light trail in addition to the blacktop/concrete.  The outsole performs very well.   I can see people using this shoe for a door to light trail run easily.  

I ran in the rain twice.  The first time was a light rain that dried up towards the end of the run.  The second run was basically a downpour.  I was running on a local concrete pathway/parkway in my hood and it was essentially a small stream in some areas as I was running.   The outsole had no slippage, it was honestly one of the better outsoles I have run in, in the rain. 

It does have some wear at 80 miles, but it looks like a shoe that will get lot's of miles in them before wearing through.  I foresee them being a higher than average shoe on durability of the outsole, which I have a habit of killing on other shoes (Altra)

The foam is a "Plush foam tech", which is a proprietary type of foam by Tarkine.  It reminds me of a supercritical foam that is on the softer side with some pop.  It is very pleasant underfoot, gives nice feedback and protection underfoot.  It doesn't have a "pop" of say an Adidas EVO SL or Mizuno New Zen, but it isn't that type of shoe either.  This is more of a very versatile maximalist type of shoe (not greater than max that is now common). 

Along with a very pleasant foam, the shoe has a nice understated rocker geometry that guides you along on your runs.  

I was able to easily do long runs (up to 16 miles) in these shoes and can see why they worked for Phil Gore on the backyard ultra.  Even though I would like to see them a little lighter, they do not feel on the heavier side underfoot and I could easily ramp up and down the gears of speed while running in them. 

This shoe also became one of my go to shoes for walkabouts with the wifes on local park walks.  It is a really comfortable shoe. 

The X-File:
At somewhere around 35 plus miles, my left shoe developed a squeak.  Just the left shoe and I had not run in any wet conditions.  In fact, we were deep into a drought at the time the squeak appeared, which confused me.  My theory is that that some sweat (It's Houston Texas) got down in between the insole and the midsole and found an air pocket.

Now, if you read the outsole section you will see that I ran in these shoes in some serious rain after the squeak and the odd thing is, it only had about a mile of squeaking during the heavy rain run.  It didn't squeak after and hasn't in over 20 miles since the squeak appeared.

So, I am sticking with my theory and that for some reason moisture got entrapped causing the squeak and then evaporated at some point.  I have not seen any other complaints on reviews about this X-file case, so I am considering it a bit of a one off issue, but wanted to be transparent in my review experience.

Improvement:This shoe competes with models like the Brooks Ghost Max, Mizuno Sky, Hoka Bondi, Skechers Burst, Hoka Clifton so the weight is honestly in line with these shoes and even lighter than some.  However, that doesn't stop me from hoping that Tarkine will find a way to give it a little bit of a diet on version 2.  The weight did not seem to have any negative experience for me on the run, but I am greedy and like lighter shoes.  =)  

I have ran in the Ghost Max, Clifton and Burst and right now, I would pick the Tarkine over all over them. 

I had a hunch I was going to like this shoe, but I like this shoe even more than I was expecting.  I will restate, this shoe is very nice as a walking shoe and is very versatile as a running shoe.  Tarkine does a great job at being stewards of the land in their business model and they still put out a shoe that is more than competitive with the big brands on the market. 

If you feel like giving an Australian brand a chance, I highly recommend this brand and shoe.  They have a good return policy and a way to get into their shoes even cheaper than the already reasonable MSRP. 

If you read my H1 post, you will note that I have that shoe already penciled in as one of my shoes for a 55 hour endurance charity run I am doing over New Years.  This shoe is also penciled in.  I will probably have a third shoe to rotate in and out of as I attempt my first 100 mile endeavor, but right now I am confident that the Autopilot will be getting some good mileage underfoot during that event.